


Bringing Home Strays

by AslansCompass



Series: ohana [1]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Gen, Superfamily
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-30
Updated: 2019-05-29
Packaged: 2020-03-29 13:34:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19020985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AslansCompass/pseuds/AslansCompass
Summary: In another reality, young Barry Allen stumbles upon a Kryptonian pod outside Central City.





	1. Chapter 1

Barry trudged along the roadside, shoving his hands into his pockets. It was chilly, but not too cold for March, and he was already working up a sweat. If Joe wasn't going to take him to see Dad, he'd go himself. His dad didn't belong at Iron Heights. The police were the good guys; they weren't supposed to lock up dads. Once he explained everything to them--the funny lights and the colors--Dad could come home and everything would be okay again. They'd all sit on the couch and watch musicals and eat popcorn. Dad would tell jokes and Mom would--Mom would--

  
Barry wiped his nose with the back of his hand. He didn't want to think about that now. It took all of his concentration to not trip over the uneven ground or stumble into the ditch. Last fall's weeds stuck up through half-melted ice. The waning moon gleamed through the clouds.

  
A bright light flared overhead. Barry blinked, purple and green dots filling his vision. "What?" A faint whistling filled his ears. "What's happening?" The sound grew louder and louder, like a jet taking off. He looked up.

  
Something was crashing toward him. Something bright and big and .....Barry dove to the ground. It wooshed overhead, falling out of sight.

  
"What was that?" Barry scrambled to his feet, following the faint traces of light. He came out in a newly-made clearing. Burnt tree trunks and charred bushes formed a wide perimeter, like the police tape had at his house. Smoke drifted away, revealing a silver-grey .... something.

  
Barry wasn't sure what it was. Maybe a robot? It was big, two or three times the size of a car, roundish in the front with something that looked like butterfly wings on the back. "Hello?" He took a step forward, wincing at the heat. "Anyone there?"

  
Part of the shape moved. Barry stared, wide-eyed, as a figure climbed out. He couldn't see clearly; it looked human. At least, human-shaped. It could still be an alien. Didn't some aliens look human, like on Star Trek?

  
It wasn't a Klingon, or a Vulcan, or even a Wookie.

  
It was a girl, his own age, holding a baby in her arms.


	2. Chapter 2

Kara pressed Kal against her chest. She blinked several times, trying to clear the statis-induced fog from her vision. The crash site still burned, but her travel outfit was made with heat and impact-proof fibers, as was Kal's. According to her sensors, the air was breathable, the temperatures acceptable, and the radiation--no, better than fine, perfect (possibly with long-term effects). 

The stranger said something she couldn't understand. Kara frowned and tapped her left ear. The translator was programmed with all known languages, even the most obsolete ones. Mother had insisted on it. But if it wasn't working....

The person stepped forward. In the light of the crash, she could see it was a boy, about her age. He looked normal, no blue skin or pointed ears or tentacles. That was good. It meant they'd blend in here.

The boy repeated himself, louder. If only they could understand the language. The translator could decipher new languages, but it needed more samples, ferably from multiple sources.

Kara looked at him again. He had a bag on his back. Maybe he had something in there she could use. Kara shifted Kal to one arm. With the other, she tapped the boy's bag. "Can I look inside?" Even if he didn't understand her words, maybe the tone would come through.

He nodded.

She fumbled with the zipper for a moment, fingers still clumsy. She pulled out several items in various sizes, all rectangular, thumb thick, but paper, not tablets or drives. She'd only seen pieces like this in the archives. This could work.

Besides the earpiece, she also has a visual synthesizer. She flicked through the pages one-handed, only pausing on one spread with a ringed sphere. The symbols slowly transformed into familiar letters: SATURN.

Whatever, wherever, this Saturn was, it was a planet. This civilization knew of other planets. Kara tapped the picture, then pointed to her pod. "Space," she said, looking up at the stars. "We're from space."

The boy looked at the pod, at the page, and back at her. The translation kicked in half a minute later. "Space?"

"Yes, space," Kara repeated. "Space." He frowned. Of course. It only worked one way. Great for understanding, not so great for explanations. "Kara," she said, pointing at herself. "Kara Zor-El of Krypton."

"Kar-uh rele crip ten," the boy repeated. He mimicked her motion. "Berry Al en."

The translator repeated both words. Good, he seemed to understand what she was asking.

"Berry," she pointed to him. "Kara," she pointed back at herself. "Berry. Kara. Berry, Kara." Kal squirmed in her grasp. She set down the books and held him in both arms. "Kal."

"Cal." Berry said. He smiled and reached out to touch Kal's hair. "Cal."

Kara flinched, but Kal laughed. "Why are you present?" The translator hummed. "What parents do?" It took her a moment to understand the question. _Where are your parents?_

She put one hand on Kal's shoulder and shook her head.

Berry frowned. "Need help?"

Kara looked back at the pod. Her parents had packed it with everything they would need to survive anywhere, in any environment. 

But no pod would last forever.  If she wanted to be safe--if she wanted to protect Kal--she would need help. 

Kara nodded. "Help Kara, Berry. Help."

 


	3. Chapter 3

"Don't keep doing this to me, " Joe West mumbled to himself as he drove slowly, checking the sides of the highway.

"Are you mad at Barry?" Iris asked.

"Just keep your eyes open," Joe sighed. "No, I'm not mad. I'm just worried. He can't keep running away like this. He's got to face the facts. His dad's not coming home."

"Do you think he did it?"

Joe glared at her. "I told you not to ask."

"I know... it's just...do you think he did it?" Iris didn't meet her dad's eyes. "I mean, you said Barry's dad isn't coming back."

"Doesn't matter what I think, pumpkin. Somebody killed Mrs. Allen.  If there's even a chance it was Mr. Allen, they're going to keep him locked up." 

They drove in silence for a few miles. "And what about Barry?"

"We'll be here for Barry as long as he needs us."

"Good," Iris said. "Hey, hey Dad, I see Barry." She rolled down her window. "Barry, Barry!"

Joe pulled to the side and stopped. "And what are you doing here?"

Barry didn't answer. Instead, he turned around. "Cara? Cara?  Come on, it's okay. It's safe."

"Cara?" Iris asked.

A girl, about her own age, stepped into view. She was wearing a silver jumpsuit and carrying a baby.

"Barry?" Joe asked. "Who is this?"

"Her name's Cara, and that's Cal. They have a spaceship!"

"What?"

"Spaceship?" 

"Back that way," Barry gestured behind him. "It came crashing down and everything. Come on, I'll show you." 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

All the kids were in bed. Barry was in the guest room,  Iris and Kara were sharing her bed, and Kal was sleeping in a pile of blankets.

Joe took a sheet of scratch paper and began writing a list.

  * crib
  * formula
  * baby clothes
  * blankets
  * food



He'd have to call in tomorrow, ask for the day off, call in an excuse for Barry and Iris. Anything he could scavenge from that ship of hers would be useful. At least Kara seemed to understand what they were saying, even if she couldn't talk to them. And after that...

After that...

If his instincts were half as good as he thought they were, those kids were stuck here. Didn't take an expert in physics to tell that ship was never gonna fly again. As for why they'd come....well, parents wouldn't send a preteen off with a baby unless there was no other option.

Nobody else was coming.

And that left him, Detective Joe West, with a choice to make. He could do the proper thing, take the kids into child services and trust the system to take care of them.

Or he could take them in himself.

It wouldn't be cheap, adding two more mouths to feed.

It wouldn't be above board, creating the necessary paperwork.

It wouldn't be easy, taking care of scared, orphaned aliens.

But it would be right.


End file.
